


In the Rain

by remanenceglow



Series: First Kiss Series [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Library, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Stucky - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-06-05 09:04:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6698536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remanenceglow/pseuds/remanenceglow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky finds himself trapped in the library during a storm with the hot librarian he's been crushing on for months. And he may or may not be totally okay with this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Rain

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a series I have called "First Kiss," which is a series of one shots about - as you've probably guessed - first kisses, so please check out the others in the series that come before this first :) I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, thank you for reading <3

Bucky had always loved libraries. He loved the smell of the old, used books; the feeling of dust in the air that was so thick in some places it formed a thin layer over his clothes; the comfortable, raggedy chairs that felt as though they would collapse beneath him at any point. He loved it all. The mess. The quiet chaos. The whispers of time that hung in the air - telling of lost adventures, and forgotten love, and happily-ever-afters that he knew he would never have the chance to have. He loved every crooked shelf and every wrinkled paperback and every old poster with the word READ spelled out in huge, rainbow letters.

And he especially loved the librarian. 

_ His _ librarian. 

Blond hair and baby blue eyes and a build like a fucking  _ god _ , his librarian honestly looked more like the leading man in a Nicholas Sparks movie rather than someone who peddled books for a living. If it weren’t for the sweater vests and the blocky, Buddy Holly-esque glasses, Bucky would have assumed that he only ever happened into the library by mistake, lost on his way to a “Sexy Firefighters with Puppies” calendar photoshoot, or something equally as mind-numbing. But, alas - he actually  _ was  _ a librarian, and he seemed to care about the newest Toni Morrison novel far more than how many reps of 20 he could do on arm-day, and Bucky honestly couldn’t say that he minded. As pretentious and downright hipster as it sounded (he was rolling his eyes at himself), Bucky would rather a man who liked Brontë than a man who liked Babe Ruth.

They’d only spoken a few times, though that didn’t stop Bucky’s breath from hitching every Saturday morning when he walked into the library and saw his beautiful librarian (who he’d recently learned was named Steve Rogers, because of-fucking- _ course _ he had to have a butch name that made him sound like the FBI’s top dog). It was all too much for Bucky’s poor little gay heart to handle, honestly, and it didn’t help that it had been months since his last date. He was fucking  _ parched, _ and walking in to see Steve putting a stack of books on a shelf, or helping some old lady find the science fiction section, or even just stamping the library seal on the end papers of the newest James Patterson knock-off - it made Bucky’s heart sing like he was a goddamn Disney princess. He was absolutely fucked when it came to Steve, and he only hoped that it would one day be in more ways than just the metaphorical. 

\--

_ 10:04 a.m. _

The sky was churning an angry grey as Bucky huddled under the large awning over the library’s entrance, shaking off the water from his umbrella and peeking up at the dark storm clouds that streaked over the horizon. He probably should have stayed home that morning, especially given the large bellows of thunder that struck every few minutes and made his teeth chatter, but he’d just finished the first book in _ A Song of Ice and Fire _ and he  _ needed _ to know how in the world Daenerys had ended up with three pet dragons.

He pulled open the large wooden doors and set his umbrella in the front entryway, shaking his hair like a wet dog and peeling his jacket off before taking a deep, settling breath. The past week at work had been hell and he wanted nothing more than to curl up in one of the oversized armchairs and lose himself in the world of fiction (and occasionally sneak a few glances at his hot librarian nerd who he still hadn’t worked up the nerve to ask on a date, but it was fine because he was  _ getting there). _ He’d just pulled open the door into the main reading room when a thunderous growl shook the walls and all of the overhead lights flickered weakly before going out altogether, leaving him standing alone in the surprisingly dim entryway.

_ “Shit,” _ he heard a voice say, and he squinted over towards the circulation desk, where he could see the faint outline of Steve moving around. A few seconds later a bright light shone in Bucky’s eyes and he held up a hand, blinking until the clouded vision faded and he could see Steve walking towards him, his phone in his hand and a frown on his pretty face. He didn’t say anything, glancing up at Bucky before turning his attention to a small metal rectangle in the wall, opening it and fiddling around for a minute before cursing again. “Power’s out. The lightning must have hit the main line.”

Bucky paused, worrying at his lip as he glanced back out the window. The rain was coming down even harder than before, and it looked like the streets were starting to flood. He cursed himself for not staying home. There was no way he’d be able to drive back in weather like this, the way here had been hard enough. He turned back to Steve, who was typing something into his phone. “Backup generator?”

Steve let out a dry chuckle and looked up at him. His eyelashes were so long Bucky had to hold his breath to keep from saying something stupid. “The building doesn’t have any. Too old.” He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “Severe storm warning is up. Everyone’s supposed to stay inside until at least two.”

“Great,” Bucky muttered, and Steve chuckled again.

“I was just about to close up and head home, too. Haven’t had any patrons all day.” He gave Bucky an appraising look, and even in the dim lighting Bucky could see just how damn pretty his eyes were. He wondered what Steve would look like without his glasses on, and he may or may not have fallen into a brief Clark-Kent-to-Superman fantasy before Steve spoke again and pulled him out of his thoughts. “I gotta say, you came at the worst time.”

Bucky managed a grin. “Story of my life.”

“Might as well get cozy if we’re here for the next few hours. I think I have some hot chocolate mix in the back.” Steve raised his eyebrows and gave a downright endearing smile. “You in?”

“Only if I get to see the back rooms,” Bucky said with a grin. “I’ve always wondered what you guys hide in there. My friend Nat is convinced it’s where you keep the sex dungeons.”

Steve gave a surprised laugh, winding his way behind the circulation desk with Bucky behind him. “Sex dungeons? Really?” 

“Librarians act way too conservative. You all have some damn kinky secrets.”

“Mm, not in this library, I’m afraid.”

“Fine,” Bucky conceded reluctantly. “No sex dungeons. What about the body’s of the customers who never pay their fines? You’ve gotta be hiding them somewhere.” He made a show of looking around the back office Steve had walked into, peeking behind the bookshelves and under the desk. When he finally caught the librarian’s eye again, Steve was smiling and giving Bucky an odd, intrigued look.

“What’s your name again?”

Bucky felt his lips curl up into a helpless smile. “James.”

“James,” Steve repeated, grinning again. “We’ve met before but I couldn’t remember. Better to ask now than in three hours.” He paused and something soft settled in his eyes. “Nice to officially meet you, James.”

“Bucky’s my nickname, if you’d rather call me that.” 

“Bucky,” Steve repeated, and Bucky felt his heart sing like a goddamn mockingbird. “That’s cute.”

\--

_ 10:57 a.m. _

“So, Bucky,” Steve said, resting back against the wooden mahogany desk in the back room and propping his feet up on a chair. “Why the hell did you even bother to come here?”

Bucky laughed, stirring at the hot chocolate Steve had made him and settling on the ground next to a pile of new releases. “Finished my book, wanted the sequel.” He shrugged. “I’m sure you know the feeling.”

Steve smiled. “I do. What book?”

“First  _ Game of Thrones.” _

“I’ve never read the series, but I’ve seen parts of the show. That’s the one with the dragon lady, right?”

Bucky covered his ears and shook his head.  _ “Spoilers.” _

“Sorry,” Steve said quickly, chuckling as he settled on the floor in front of Bucky. “I’m always doing that.”

“Overexcitable?”

“You could say that.”

Bucky smiled and looked back down at his hot chocolate, his leg warm where Steve’s knee pressed up against it. God, he was absolutely fucked when it came to this nerd. “So what about you?”

“Hm?”

“You’re a librarian, you’re surrounded by books every goddamn day. What’s your favorite?”

A gleam came into Steve’s baby blue eyes and Bucky almost leaned forward and kissed him. “Dangerous question.”

“I like danger,” Bucky said, wincing instantly at how stupid he sounded. Steve didn’t seem to mind, playing with his glasses and worrying at his lip with his teeth.

“Let me think. Favorite book. There’s so many…”

“Cop-out.”

“No, no, gimme a second to think…” Steve pulled his eyebrows together, his fingernails tapping at his styrofoam cup of hot chocolate. “Probably  _ East of Eden, _ honestly.”

Bucky smiled. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. You’ve read it?”

“Back in school, though I always hated Steinbeck. I should reread it.”

“You should.” Steve’s lips pulled into a smile, and he nudged Bucky’s leg with his knee. “I think you would like it.”

\--

_ 11:17 a.m. _

“Jesus Christ, I think the streets are flooding.” 

Bucky pressed his nose up against the office window, his heart stuttering when he felt Steve move to stand beside him.

“What time’s that storm warning until?”

“Two,” Steve said, glancing down at his phone. “Okay, scratch that. Five.”

_ “Five?” _

“Sorry. Hope you didn’t have anything planned for today.”

Bucky let out a sigh and pushed himself away from the window. “Not really. At least I’ve got you for company.”

Steve smiled prettily.

“Yeah, Bucky. You’ve got me.”

\--

_ 12:36 p.m. _

“You sound like a fucking duck,” Bucky said, wiping at his eyes and holding back yet another bout of laughter. “Oh my  _ god, _ you…”

“AND  _ AYYYYYYYY-EEE-YYYYY -” _

“Shut _ up -” _

_ “WILL ALWAYS LOOOOVE -” _

“STEVE -”

_ “YOUUUUUUU.” _

Bucky laughed again, his stomach aching and his head hitting back against the desk as he tried to breathe. “Oh my god, you’re -” He laughed again, looking up at Steve, who was grinning over at him, his glasses skewed to the side and a sweet smile on his face. “You’re such an idiot, oh my god…”

“You love it.”

Bucky just shook his head and bit his lip.

“Yeah. Whatever.”

\--

_ 1:23 p.m. _

“So what do you do for a living?”

Bucky looked up from his hand of cards, surprised by the question. He and Steve had been playing Go Fish for the past half hour, using an  _ Adventure Time _ pack of playing cards. Bucky may or may not have been losing, and he may or may not have been childishly upset about that.

“I’m a recruiter for the Army,” he said vaguely, returning his attention back on his cards.

“Really?” Steve asked, and Bucky could hear the confusion. “You served?”

“Yeah, only for a few years though. Wounded in action.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“Your arm?”

Bucky looked up, his hand reaching absently to cup his right elbow. “Yeah. How’d you know?”

Steve’s cheeks reddened. “You favor your left side. Barely. But still.”

“You’re very observant.”

Steve gave another small, shy smile, tossing a pair of eights into the pile between them. 

“Only when it comes to you.” He ran a hand through his blond hair, and Bucky found himself struck speechless. Well, his librarian certainly was full of surprises. “Your turn.”

Bucky shook his shock away and looked down at his hand.

“Got any twos?”

“Go fish.”

\--

2:43 p.m.

“Is the rain slowing down?”

Bucky glanced back at Steve, who was laying on his stomach with a book propped up in front of him. He smiled and pressed his nose back up against the window.

“Not really. The lightning’s stopped.”

“Thunder?”

“You have ears. Heard any thunder?”

Steve smirked. “Someone’s sassy.”

“Only when I get asked stupid questions.” Bucky settled into the desk chair and tossed a pen from hand to hand. “So what about you? Why’d you become a librarian? Seems a dying breed.”

Steve was quiet for a little while, before sighing and rolling onto his back. “Yeah. Well. I think that’s part of why I did it. Thought maybe I could keep libraries from going extinct. Breathe some life back into ‘em.”

“How’s that going?”

He laughed. “You tell me. You’re in here enough to know how many patrons we get. Or rather, how many patrons we  _ don’t _ get.”

“Yeah,” Bucky said gently, looking down at Steve. “I know. Changing times.”

“Don’t get soft on me now, Buck.”

“Sorry. It’s shit, though.”

“Yeah. But you’re still here.”

Bucky smiled.

“Yeah. I’m still here.”

\--

_ 3:05 p.m. _

“Alright. You’re on an abandoned island and you can only have one item to help you survive. What is it?”

“Shut up.”

“Come over here and make me.”

“I’m too lazy. You come over here.”

“The fuck would I do that for?”

“I’ll give you a kiss.”

There was a beat.

“Shut up, Steve.”

\--

_ 3:13 p.m. _

“Were you serious before?”

“Mm? About what?” There was a pause. “Bucky?”

“Nothing.”

\--

_ 4:38 p.m. _

“The rain’s stopped.”

Steve raised his head from where he was laying on the floor, his eyes blinking sleepily. “The roads?”

“Still flooded, though not too bad. We should be able to get out of here in about forty minutes.”

“How to pass the time,” Steve murmured thoughtfully, resting his head in his arms. “Any ideas?”

“Cards?”

“Nah.”

“Reading?”

“Too tired.”

“Singing?”

“If you try, I’ll punch you.”

Bucky smiled but didn’t say anything.

“Buck?”

“Mm?”

There was a pause, and when Steve spoke again his voice was soft.

“I was serious.”

\--

_ 5:31 p.m. _

Bucky pulled on his jacket and gripped his umbrella in his hand, watching as Steve locked up the front doors of the library. The streets weren’t bad now and the rain had stopped altogether, though Bucky knew his drive home wouldn’t be all that pleasant. He frowned and ran a hand through his hair, his stomach growling. He hadn’t even managed to get the second  _ Game of Thrones _ book.

“You off?”

Bucky turned to see Steve behind him, tugging at the sleeves of his jacket. His glasses were fogged up from the humidity and his hair had little water droplets spiked at the tips. He looked adorable and Bucky had to bite back a smile.

“Yeah. I’ll risk the roads. My truck should be fine.” He raised an eyebrow. “You?”

Steve grinned. “Might as well. I’m fucking starving.”

“Same. Think any restaurants are open?”

“Probably not. I’m pretty sure everyone but us was smart and decided to stay home today.”

Bucky laughed. “Cereal will have to do for me, then. Hope I didn’t lose power and spoil the milk.”

“You on the south side of town?”

“North.”

“Same. I checked and it doesn’t seem like any of the lines are down.” Steve hesitated, his pretty pink lips curling into a smile. “I’m making homemade pizzas, if you’re interested.”

“Seven hours and you’re not sick of me yet?” Bucky teased, and Steve laughed, stepping a little closer.

“Nah. You’re alright.”

“Sounds good then, thanks.”

“Buck?”

“Hm?”

Steve bit his lip, his blue eyes nervous, before stepping forward and cupping Bucky’s cheek, pressing their mouths together gently. Bucky felt his heart start hammering and his eyes slipped shut, gripping onto the front of Steve’s shirt as the man pulled away slowly. Steve was grinning at him, his cheeks flushed bright red and his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“I told you I was serious about that kiss.”


End file.
